Brother, Traitor
by Ryan Brooklyn
Summary: With the shouts and screams of his fellow Jedi ringing in his ears, Tru Veld finishes his work in the Temple techlab, only to encounter an old friend with a dark secret. Set during the Jedi Temple massacre in RotS. A bit of a JediQuest crossover too.


**A/N: So I was reading through my ****Revenge of the Sith**** book and got the idea for this. Note: It helps to have read the Jedi Quest books as well.**

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Anakin Skywalker or Tru Veld. They belong to George Lucas and Jude Watson respectively. I also don't own anything Star Wars related. That belongs to George Lucas._

**Rating:** PG-13 for violence and blood

**Genre:** Friendship/Tragedy

**Summary: **After Tru Veld finishes his work in the Jedi Temple tech-lab, he runs into an old friend. Set during the Jedi Temple massacre in Revenge of the Sith.

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**Brother, Traitor**

Tru Veld ran a slender hand through his short hair, after winding it halfway around his shoulders. He was anxious and one could tell from the way his legs kept coiling and uncoiling around each other. His long flexible fingers fairly flew over the keys in front of him. He could hear the cries from outside, but his master had commanded him to download these files no matter what happened. He would obey his master.

The download was finally complete. Tru quickly picked up the disk and slipped it into his pocket, his fingers brushing his lightsaber slightly. His hand lingered. Would he need it when the doors opened into the hallway? He heard the sound of screams in the distance. Slender shoulders shook faintly underneath voluminous robes. Taking a deep breath, Tru pressed the pad that would open the door. It slid open effortlessly.

Tru's sliver eyes narrowed as he looked up and down the hallway in front of him. Nothing occupied the space around him. He stepped into the long corridor, the door sliding shut behind him with a faint _hiss_. He flinched slightly at the sound and then berated himself for being so afraid. He was a Jedi Knight. There was no fear, only the Force. He moved down the hallway.

As he rounded a corner he stopped suddenly. His face paled. Silvery-cast fingers flew to his lightsaber as he knelt beside a young Apprentice who was lying on the polished floor, a pool of blood spreading from underneath him. Tru's eyes were wide with shock as he searched for a pulse in the boy. Dark eyes flew open and the boy gasped and clutched at Tru's sleeve, mumbling something in his hysteria and agony. Blood spilled from his mouth. Tru lifted the boy's head onto his lap.

"Shush Jairen," Tru whispered to the boy, his throat constricted. "Help will come soon." _I hope_, his mind said in despair.

He looked up across the expansive corridor. If it were possible, his face paled further. Strewn all over the floor of the corridor lay Apprentices. Young boys and girls of all species lay dead. Blood covered the tile and spread almost wall to wall. Tru gaped in horror at the carnage before him before turning back to the boy in his lap.

Jairen's gaze was fixed on him although Tru knew he was fading fast. The boy's lips moved and Tru leaned forward to hear what Jairen had to say.

"Troopers . . . attacked," the boy said weakly, his voice failing. "I thought . . . they were . . . on our side."

Tru ran his hand over the boy's vibrant orange hair, his mind befuddled by this piece of news. Jairen's eyes began to glaze over. He gripped Tru's robes tightly.

"Master Tru," he gasped out raggedly, the light in his eyes growing dim. "Master Tru . . ."

"What is it, my boy?" Tru asked, but he knew he would get no answer.

Jairen grew limp in his arms and his eyes stared unseeing up at the ceiling. His fingers fell from Tru's clothing. Tears sprang into the young Jedi Knight's eyes as he closed the eyes of the Apprentice gently. As he stood he got the feeling that someone was watching him. Turning he encountered a dark figure, standing in a corner, obscured by the shadows. He was wearing a cloak and hood and Tru could not see his face.

"Who are you?" He asked, his hand straying to his lightsaber. Normally seeing a cloaked and hooded figure would never be thought of in the Jedi Temple. But after what he had just witnessed, and the evidence of slaughter around him, he knew he must be cautious.

"Someone who has come to avenge," came a voice from beneath the hood. A very familiar voice . . . especially to Tru.

"Anakin?" Relief flooded into Tru's voice. "Anakin, quickly! Troopers are attacking the Temple!"

Gone were the hard feelings Tru felt for Anakin. Vanished was the disappointment from Anakin's betrayal back when they were teenagers. Tru only felt gratitude for Anakin's timely arrival. Anakin Skywalker stepped out from the shadows. It was then that Tru saw the cold look in the other young man's gaze.

"Anakin?" Tru asked cautiously. "Are you alright?"

"Anakin is dead," came Anakin's harsh reply, "Vader is born."

A vivid bar of blue light emitted from the end of Anakin's lightsaber. Tru's eyes widened as he realized what was happening. He looked down at Jairen's lifeless form to Anakin. He saw no compassion in the other's eyes for what had happened to these children. He saw only cold hatred.

Tru unclipped his lightsaber from his belt but kept it off. He moved away from the murdered Padawans, not wanting to fight with them near enough to stumble upon. As he had hoped, Anakin moved with him. He knew he was going to die soon. Anakin and he had always had equal strengths in their lightsaber duels, but there was a time during their match when Anakin could have defeated Tru but had not. This time Tru knew Anakin would not be so merciful. With that knowledge, Tru only wanted to ask one question.

"Why?"

Anakin stepped forward, Tru moved back. Anakin's lips curled into a sneer.

"You wouldn't understand," he said. "You were never the smartest one in the group were you?"

Tru blinked, hurt at his former friend's words. "I might not have been, but I was your closest friend in the group."

Anakin was silent. Tru felt triumphant about this small victory.

"Do you deny it?" He asked, confidence seeping back into him.

"I do not," Anakin said quietly. Then he shrugged. "But it is of no consequence." He lifted his lightsaber in front of him advancing slowly.

Tru backed up again, keeping his lightsaber off but gripping it tightly.

"No consequence!" He asked incredulously. "No consequence? You think that the fact that we were like brothers is of no consequence? How could you do this Anakin? I thought you were better than this."

Anakin sighed in apparent annoyance. "I have, you could say, been given a better offer. But I waste my time. Let's see if our strengths are still equal."

With that he launched himself at Tru. Tru's lightsaber sprang to life and he blocked Anakin's attack swiftly. Thus their duel began. This time however, it was a duel to the death.

Tru fought his hardest but the fact of the matter was he did not possess the hatred and madness that seemed to have seized Anakin. He felt himself gradually weaken under the ferocity of Anakin's blows. It was a dizzying pattern that Tru, in his state of shock, horror, despair, and anguish could not comprehend. Finally it came to an end. Tru's lightsaber went flying across the hall, along with his lower arm, where it came to a halt in the pool of blood that surrounded Jairen. Tru dropped to the ground with a cry, holding his severed arm tightly against himself.

He forced himself to look up at Anakin as the other approached, his lightsaber held high. Tru looked into the cold blue eyes of his former friend and wept at the hatred and malice he saw there. Anakin saw the tears and hesitated briefly.

"Anakin," Tru said weakly, "brother . . ."

"Brother you might have been," said Anakin coldly. "But traitor you have become."

With that came a flash of brilliant blue and Tru fell, his last expression one of hurt bewilderment. Anakin stood a moment, looking down at his former best friend. Memories came unbidden into his mind. Memories of Tru and him laughing together, dueling, fixing droids, finishing each other's sentences. He remembered also the look on Tru's face when he found out how Anakin had held back his knowledge of the faulty lightsaber. The fault that caused a friend to die; Tru had never seemed to forgive him for that. Of course, Anakin had not made a real effort to ask for forgiveness. He had not needed to, he reminded himself. It was Tru's own fault for not taking his lightsaber to his master. But these thoughts were trivial now.

A lone tear slipped out of Anakin's cool blue eyes. It dripped off the edge of his jaw and fell onto Tru's still face. Of all the deaths Anakin was responsible for that night this would be the one he regretted. However no tears followed.

Anakin turned away from the carnage that filled the room and Darth Vader strode out of the room, his lightsaber shutting off with a light _shhhisss_.

No more screams pierced the darkness of the Temple, for the dead make no sound. No footsteps rang down the wide corridors, for the dead do not walk. No splashing was heard from the Room of Thousand Fountains, for the dead cannot swim or cavort. No sound was made at all, except for the slight swish of Vader's cape as he leapt onto his speeder and flew off into the bright lights of Coruscant.

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_(sniff, sniff)_** Please review and you get a tissue. **_(sniff, sniff, hooooonk)_


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